Alden blinked away the afterimages of swirling lights, struggling to place his bearings in this new realm. The transition had sucked the breath from his lungs, leaving him momentarily dizzy. Gone were the broken arches of the train station. Now, jagged rock formations rose around him like the ribs of a petrified beast, clawing at a sky the colour of dried blood. A scorching wind whipped his hair across his face and carried the tang of something primal, ancient, and hungry.
DING!
A crisp chime in his head. The System's phantom interface flickered before his eyes, its letters forming with a faint crackle:
Trial: Path of the Unbound
Objective: Survive the Guardian.
Failure Condition: Death.
Alden's mouth went dry. "Survive." No mention of slaying anything, just outlasting it. That alone told him all he needed to know: he was as fragile as a flickering candle flame in a storm. He clenched his battered practice sword and steadied his breathing. The System had thrown him into an arena, and he suspected there would be no mercy.
A low, menacing growl rattled his spine. From behind a twisted spire of stone, a creature emerged. Its hulking form was an abomination of corded muscle and spiked protrusions. Four thick limbs, each ending in talon-tipped claws, gouged deep furrows in the cracked earth. Its head was an amalgamation of predatory features: a long snout lined with razored teeth and eyes that glowed a sickly crimson.
Alden's heart galloped in his chest. He knew enough from half-remembered lore and the occasional lecture from traveling adventurers: Guardians were Trials made manifest, unstoppable forces that tested the might—and, more importantly, the resolve—of the challenger. Each was as unique as the realm it inhabited. This one was large enough to be unstoppable by a single novice. If he had any illusions about smashing his way to victory, they evaporated in the withering heat of that monstrous gaze.
With a bone-rattling roar, the Guardian lunged.
In that split second, a chaotic swirl of thoughts flooded Alden's mind:
—His Vitality stat was average at best; a single hit from those claws could kill him.
—His Strength might as well be negligible compared to that gargantuan build.
—He had minimal combat experience outside of practice drills and a few tavern brawls.
He forced himself to move. He dove to the side, rolling across the jagged ground. Rocks bit into his ribs, shredding his thin tunic. The Guardian's talons gouged a trench where he had stood mere heartbeats before.
DING!
The interface danced in his vision again. Words overlapped the Guardian's towering silhouette:
Skill Node: Adaptive Will unlocked
Level 1
A surge of warmth flooded Alden's chest, as though the air had ignited inside his lungs. There was no time to question how or why—this was the nature of the System: it recognized potential, forging new abilities in the face of certain doom. He felt his limbs grow lighter, as though dread no longer weighed him down. But that slight empowerment did nothing to quell the primal terror in his heart. The Guardian was already turning, claws scraping earth.
Alden swallowed. Everything in his body screamed to run, to flee this place of nightmares. But the Trial demanded survival. Here, survival meant facing the beast—outthinking it, outmaneuvering it, even if direct combat was impossible. Gritting his teeth, he darted around another stone spire, praying it might buy him a moment to think.
The Guardian barreled forward, its bulk smashing the spire into rubble. Shrapnel ricocheted off Alden's ragged sword and stung his arms. He stumbled back, nearly deafened by the monster's snarl.
This cannot be done alone played like a mantra in his head. The Trial was madness; he was one battered novice facing an unholy avatar. Yet, ironically, he had never felt more alive. The terror, the adrenaline—it was all exhilarating in a way he had never experienced.
He forced down the panic. Use the environment. He cast a furtive glance around, noting the columns of rock, the jagged ground. High overhead, a swirling vortex of clouds crackled with energy. Was it possible to bait the Guardian into a spot where that swirling electricity could strike it? He had no idea if the phenomenon above even counted as weather or just some swirling visual. But it was better than nothing.
He sprinted toward a narrow channel between two massive boulders. The Guardian snarled and followed in pursuit, chunks of earth scattering beneath its claws. Alden could feel the heat radiating from its body, could hear each snarling breath. With every pounding footstep, it closed the distance.
Another skill prompt glowed at the edge of his vision, the System responding to his frantic survival instincts:
Adaptive Will [Lv. 1] → [Lv. 2]
Effect: Enhanced Perception
Alden's breath caught. The next moment, the world slowed to a crawl. He could see each droplet of saliva flung from the Guardian's maw, each glint of evil in its crimson eyes. His heart thundered in his ears, but now, adrenaline sharpened his mind like a whetstone on steel.
He spotted a fissure in the ground to his left, a jagged crack from which steam hissed and sulfurous stench wafted. It looked deep—maybe bottomless. Could he use it? The Guardian was massive, unstoppable. If it went over the edge…
He threw caution to the wind. In a single fluid motion, Alden twisted on his heel, feigning a stumble. The Guardian snarled and launched itself straight at him. He pivoted again—this time for real—forcing his battered feet to push off the cracked ground with every ounce of strength he possessed.
The Guardian roared, momentum carrying it forward. It skidded over loose gravel, huge claws clawing for purchase. For a single, heart-stopping moment, Alden thought he might have judged the distance wrong. Then, with a furious shriek, the massive beast lost traction. Its front limbs lashed out, but the ground collapsed beneath its weight. In a rain of broken rock and hellish heat, the Guardian toppled into the fissure, howling with unbridled rage all the way down.
Alden crashed onto his back, gasping for breath, sweat and dust mingling on his skin. He half-expected the monster to leap back out, unstoppable, unkillable. But there was only the faint reverberation of its roars, fading into nothingness below.
Then came the faint glimmer of a System message in his peripheral vision:
Trial Update: Guardian Subdued
Survival Confirmed
Reward: +1 Level
A wave of relief hit him like a monsoon flood. He lay still, staring up at the vortex of crimson clouds. One part of him wanted to laugh deliriously at the absurdity; another part wanted to curl up and weep. The System had recognized his cunning, awarding him a single precious level—an entry ticket into a realm of potential he had barely begun to fathom.
Heartbeat still racing, he pushed himself to his knees. The ground no longer shook; the air no longer crackled with immediate threat. Blood ran from scratches on his forearm, but adrenaline kept the sting at bay. His battered sword was still clutched in one trembling hand.
DING!
A new prompt emerged:
Proceed to Next Stage?
Yes / No
He stared at it, panting. Even after all he had just faced—after dancing on the razor's edge of death—there was an undeniable spark in his chest. It was the pull of the unknown, the promise of power, and the addictive rush of triumph. One step, and he would be taken deeper, faced with new horrors and new rewards. He swallowed hard.
Cautiously, Alden reached out to touch the prompt.